definitions

newbie

[ noo-bee, nyoo‐ ]
/ ˈnu bi, ˈnyu‐ /
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noun

a newcomer or novice, especially an inexperienced user of the Internet or of computers in general.

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RELATED WORDS

novice, rookie, beginner, tyro, initiate, recruit, colt, cub, fledgling, greenhorn, neophyte, trainee, tenderfoot, dilettante, freshman, amateur

Nearby words

newark bay, newberg, newbery, newbery award, newbery, john, newbie, newbold, newbolt, newbolt, sir henry john, newborn, newburg

Origin of newbie

1965–70, Americanism; perhaps newb(orn) + -ie
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for newbie

British Dictionary definitions for newbie

newbie

/ (ˈnjuːbɪ) /

noun

slang a newcomer, esp in computing or on the internet

Word Origin for newbie

C20: origin unknown; possibly from new boy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for newbie

newbie

n.

"newcomer, new person to an existing situation," by 1969, from new with diminutive or derogatory suffix. Perhaps originally U.S. military slang. Cf. noob. Middle English had newing "a new thing" (early 15c.); new was used as a noun meaning "naval cadet during first training on a ship" (1909); and newie "new thing" is recorded from 1947.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper